Massage To Support Healing After Pregnancy Loss
Pregnancy loss affects the body in ways that aren’t always talked about. It's a complex, deeply personal experience, and finding ways to support your physical and emotional recovery is important. Massage therapy can offer gentle support in these times, helping your body process what it’s gone through without rushing the healing process.
Addressing Physical Recovery
After pregnancy loss, the body is often left feeling tense and off-balance. You might notice tightness in your lower back, hips, and abdomen—areas that have carried the weight of your pregnancy, however long it lasted. The physical tension that follows can feel like another layer of discomfort when you're already processing so much.
Massage can help relieve some of that physical strain. Gentle abdominal work can assist in easing cramping or tension in your belly, while myofascial release and other techniques can address tightness in the back and pelvis. This isn’t about pushing your body through its recovery; it’s about giving it space to release tension at its own pace.
Manual lymphatic drainage (MLD) is another approach I often use. It can be especially helpful after pregnancy loss because it encourages the body to process and remove excess fluids and hormones. You might be feeling bloated or swollen, and MLD helps to gently reduce that, supporting your body’s natural detoxification processes. The relief can be subtle but meaningful, offering a sense of lightness when everything feels heavy.
Hormonal Shifts and Emotional Well-Being
After pregnancy loss, your body is undergoing significant hormonal changes, including the drop in pregnancy-related hormones. These shifts can influence how you feel both physically and emotionally. Massage therapy can support your body through this transition by encouraging circulation and influencing hormone regulation. Research has shown that massage can lower stress hormones like cortisol while increasing serotonin and dopamine—key neurotransmitters involved in mood regulation and emotional well-being.
Reconnecting with Your Body
After pregnancy loss, it’s common to feel disconnected from your body—almost like it’s unfamiliar or out of sync with how you feel. Massage can help create a sense of reconnection. Through gentle, intentional touch, you can start to feel more present in your body, more aware of what it needs, and a little more in control of the recovery process.
In my practice, I aim to create an environment that allows for this reconnection. By working through the physical tension in areas like your abdomen, hips, and back, massage offers a way to reconnect without overwhelming you. Sometimes, the quiet moments during a session are what provide the most relief—not just for your muscles but for your mind as well.
Calming the Nervous System
It’s common to feel like your nervous system is in overdrive after pregnancy loss, leaving you tense and constantly bracing for something. Massage or manual lymphatic drainage (MLD) can gently guide your body out of the fight-or-flight response and into a parasympathetic state, where healing and rest can happen. These techniques help activate your body’s relaxation response, allowing you to feel more grounded and at ease.
Personalized Care for a Unique Experience
Every person’s experience with pregnancy loss is different, and there’s no single way to navigate recovery. That’s why massage therapy is so adaptable—it can be tailored to your specific needs, whether that’s a gentle, nurturing touch to help you feel calm or deeper work to address areas of physical discomfort.
The key is to listen to your body. Some days, you may feel ready for more focused bodywork, while on other days, you might just need a light, supportive session. Massage therapy is about honoring where you are in the moment, without forcing anything.
Moving Forward
Massage can’t change what has happened, but it can offer meaningful support as you recover from pregnancy loss. By providing a way to reconnect with your body, manage physical discomfort, and calm your nervous system, massage becomes one part of your healing process. If you're wondering whether massage could be helpful during this time, I’m here to answer any questions or talk through what a session could look like for you.
There’s no timeline for recovery, but there are ways to support it. If massage feels like the right step for you, it’s here to help.
About the Author
Empower Massage Studio came to life as a result of Michelle’s journey navigating motherhood combined with her background as a Certified Prenatal and Postpartum Massage Therapist. Michelle currently works out of her studio in Cedar Park, Texas, where she supports moms in all stages of motherhood.